G is for GOALS- the thing which Batistuta delivers best.
Gabriel Batistuta was tall for his age and particularly enjoyed basketball.
I is for ICON- which is what Batistuta is, a veritable football icon.
Batistuta was captivated as he watched La Albiceleste overcame
difficult odds to win the tournament.
Diego Maradona stated that Batistuta is the best striker he has ever
seen play the game.
That was the year Batistuta and his family moved to Rome, where he played for Roma.
Batistuta announced that the 2002 World Cup would
be his last international competition, providing Argentina with an emotional boost.
Thanks to good
performances in the Italian championship and with the Argentine national team, Batistuta gained fame and respect.
Batistuta finished his international career with a record 56
goals in just 78 appearances- a number that may never be surpassed.
Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta begged a doctor to amputate his legs due
to the excruciating pain he felt after retiring in 2005.
He filmed several commercials and was
invited onto numerous TV shows, but in spite of this, Batistuta always remained a low-profile family man.
In all, Batistuta is the eleventh highest scorer in Serie
A history with 184 goals in 318 matches with Roma, Fiorentina and Inter Milan.
In the 1998 World Cup, Batistuta recorded his second hat-trick in the international competition,
making him the only player ever to achieve this feat.
O is for OLYMPIC STADIUM- otherwise known as the Stadio Olimpico, Roma's home stadium,
where Batistuta may finally get the elusive Serie
A title that he so richly deserves.
Batistuta, who netted a penalty against England at the 1998 World Cup,
was unable to walk and would wet the bed as he could not face dragging himself to the bathroom.